Gen 1:6 ויאמר אלהים יהי רקיע בתוך המים ויהי מבדיל בין מים למים׃ (Masoretic Text)
Gen. 1:6. And God said, “Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” (NRSV)
Genesis 1:6 Then God said, “Let there be a dome in the middle of the waters, to separate one body of water from the other.” (NAB)
Genesis 1:6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. (KJV)
Genesis 1:6. Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.”
Gen 1:6 Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ θεός Γενηθήτω στερέωμα ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ ὕδατος καὶ ἔστω διαχωρίζον ἀνὰ μέσον ὕδατος καὶ ὕδατος. καὶ ἐγένετο οὕτως. (Septugint)
Gen 1:6 dixit quoque Deus fiat firmamentum in medio aquarum et dividat aquas ab aquis (Latin Vulgate)
Are chapters 1-11 in Genesis an accurate historical account? In Genesis 1:6, we read that God created a רקיע in the midst of the waters to separate the waters from the waters. But…what is a רקיע? It is something that has been expanded as in a lump of copper that has been beaten to expand it and form it into a dish. The Greek translation of רקיע, στερέωμα, expresses the concept of a strong solid structural support. The Latin translation of רקיע, firmamentum, also expresses the concept of a strong solid structural support. The English translation of רקיע, firmament found in the KJV and some subsequent translations, also expressed the concept of a strong solid structural support—but the church, for obvious reasons, invented, out of thin air, a new meaning of the word. The NASB, and many other translations, opted for the translation “expanse.”
Genesis 1-11 is written in a genre of writing that is not found anywhere else in the Bible, and consequently Genesis 1-11 is very often studied today as a distinct unit of Scripture. A very similar genre of writing is used in epic tales, sagas, myths, and legends. So we ask, did God choose tell us the creation story clothed in the cultural beliefs of the ancient Hebrews, or is the word רקיע simply misunderstood by modern Christians?
Gen. 1:6. And God said, “Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” (NRSV)
Genesis 1:6 Then God said, “Let there be a dome in the middle of the waters, to separate one body of water from the other.” (NAB)
Genesis 1:6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. (KJV)
Genesis 1:6. Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.”
Gen 1:6 Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ θεός Γενηθήτω στερέωμα ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ ὕδατος καὶ ἔστω διαχωρίζον ἀνὰ μέσον ὕδατος καὶ ὕδατος. καὶ ἐγένετο οὕτως. (Septugint)
Gen 1:6 dixit quoque Deus fiat firmamentum in medio aquarum et dividat aquas ab aquis (Latin Vulgate)
Are chapters 1-11 in Genesis an accurate historical account? In Genesis 1:6, we read that God created a רקיע in the midst of the waters to separate the waters from the waters. But…what is a רקיע? It is something that has been expanded as in a lump of copper that has been beaten to expand it and form it into a dish. The Greek translation of רקיע, στερέωμα, expresses the concept of a strong solid structural support. The Latin translation of רקיע, firmamentum, also expresses the concept of a strong solid structural support. The English translation of רקיע, firmament found in the KJV and some subsequent translations, also expressed the concept of a strong solid structural support—but the church, for obvious reasons, invented, out of thin air, a new meaning of the word. The NASB, and many other translations, opted for the translation “expanse.”
Genesis 1-11 is written in a genre of writing that is not found anywhere else in the Bible, and consequently Genesis 1-11 is very often studied today as a distinct unit of Scripture. A very similar genre of writing is used in epic tales, sagas, myths, and legends. So we ask, did God choose tell us the creation story clothed in the cultural beliefs of the ancient Hebrews, or is the word רקיע simply misunderstood by modern Christians?